Since January, the Bishop Feehan Theatre Company has been hard at work rehearsing for the upcoming production of Shrek: The Musical. After months of preparation from the talented creative team, cast, and crew members, the show is almost ready to go up! Many people have already secured their tickets and look forward to seeing another great performance. In this article, we are going to be going behind the scenes and hearing special insights from many of the cast and creative team members. Through interviews with some of the cast and directors, you’ll get to see inside the dedication and hard work that go into putting on a musical at Bishop Feehan High School.
First, I spoke to Mrs. Strunin, the director of our productions at Feehan, about things like her experience directing a musical for the first time at Feehan, and different creative aspects she’s produced to make this show what it is.
What inspired you to put on Shrek for your first musical directing at Feehan?
In multiple conversations with Ms. Piexoto, the Visual and Performing Arts coordinator, Mrs. Seals, and Mr. Kane, there was a desire for Feehan to produce a show that had never been done before. Shrek seemed like the perfect fit. It’s a story everybody knows, it’s a positive story, there are lots of fun characters, so many upbeat songs, a huge tap number, and I love it. It’s also a show many students couldn’t do because of the shutdown of the world due to the Pandemic.
— Mrs. Strunin
What unique elements/creative touches have you incorporated into this production that you are most excited about?
I need to thank my full creative team, including my assistant directors, Riley D’Alessio ‘24, and Sydney Merhige ‘26, who have creative control over specific scenes in the show. This was an incredible learning opportunity for them and they should be proud of their work. The costumes and props crew are creating items from scratch. I’ve also reached out to Mrs Gomez, and we are collaborating on the creation of Pinocchio’s nose. I’m so excited about all of our dance numbers numbers are strong, vocal works, and the overall production quality however, I’m most excited about the use of animation in this performance. I’ve used projections and video predictions in previous productions to help propel the story forward, but I’ve never incorporated animation. I was inspired by what a student said in the first semester of my stagecraft and design class about the personification of the dragon because it’s usually done with the vocalist and a large puppet that screamed animation in my mind. I went to Mr. Endler to see if we had any students who would be good enough to animate this crazy idea and he suggested Olivia Guglielmi ‘25. Olivia is amazing! She is creating a full animation sequence for the Dragon “Forever”. Every time she shows her progress it just gets more and more amazing. I can’t wait for everybody’s reaction of this amazing feat.
— Mrs. Strunin
What’s been your favorite part directing at Feehan?
The cast and crew of Shrek are just simply amazing. They are so hard-working and truly a collaborative team. They are not afraid to share their ideas or take risks they take care of each other and they’re just so nice to each other. There are many moments when I just have to sit back and appreciate how wonderful everybody is and how lucky and blessed I am to have Feehan as my new home. Every day is a delight.
— Mrs. Strunin
How does directing a Feehan compare with your past experiences?
Graduating to high school (I taught middle school for 20 years) has allowed me to be able to give students more independence for multiple creative experiences: costume building props, creation, lighting design, and more. They know more therefore they can do more. I forget I don’t have to do everything myself! There’s a lot of support for the performing arts at Feehan. The community is extraordinarily excited about the show and watching their students succeed. I would like to personally thank Mr. Messier, Mr. Sheerin, and Mr. Santos for everything they have done in their assistance for Shrek and Peter and the Starcatcher. They help out in so many ways, and it’s wonderful to have their support and assistance when I need it.
— Mrs. Strunin
Next, I talked to senior Jacob Rebelo, who will be playing the title role of Shrek. How do you feel about playing Shrek as your final performance in the Feehan Theatre Company?
Shrek being my last role at Feehan is an absolute honor. Shrek is an iconic role and everyone knows him so playing him is very important to me in my journey as an actor. I could not have done this without all the friends I’ve made along the way and I want to thank everyone who’s helped me achieve this!
— Jacob Rebelo ‘24
Out of the many different funny, authentic, and exciting songs and moments the role of Shrek contains, which is your favorite to perform?
”Build Me a Wall” is my favorite song to perform because there is so much power behind it. You can see Shrek’s anger when he realizes that Donkey and Fiona think that all there is to him is being a scary ogre. We obviously find out that all of it was a huge misunderstanding, but at the moment it’s really heartbreaking.
— Jacob Rebelo ‘24
How is playing Shrek similar or different from your performance as Black Stache in the fall play, Peter and the Starcatcher?
Shrek and Black Stache have many similarities and differences. Their personalities are pretty similar, only one is the protagonist while the other is the antagonist. They both stink at their “jobs” in similar ways. Shrek is trying to be a “hero” and live a better life and Black Stache is a “villain”, but isn’t very good at it.
— Jacob Rebelo ‘24
Then I spoke with Arianna Simoneau, a senior who will be performing as Fiona. Arianna has been involved in not just Feehan theater, but various other theater and music programs outside of school. She is thrilled to be playing Fiona as her final performance at Feehan.
How has Fiona differed from the many different roles you’ve played at Feehan and other companies?
Fiona is a lot like me. She is a morning person, spunky, loves to sing and dance, and by the end of the show learns to love herself. Compared to roles I’ve played like Matilda in Matilda the Musical and Little Sally and Urinetown, I get to play someone who’s a bit more my age which is nice!
— Arianna Simoneau ’24
What are you most looking forward to about your final performance at Feehan?
I’m so excited for senior goodbyes. My best friend Mirolla (Boules; ‘24) and I have been planning to give each other a senior goodbye since 8th grade!
— Arianna Simoneau ’24
What type of performance are you looking to do in the future?
I’m so excited for my first concert as a teacher. This will be far in the future and I got a little taste of that this Christmas when I had my Children’s Choir perform at the Christmas concert. It was such an inspiring experience. I’m so excited to be an educator and inspire the next generation of musicians.
— Arianna Simoneau ’24
How has theater at Feehan shaped your high school experience throughout the years?
I’ve found so many lifelong friends in theater and grown in my friendship with Mirolla so much. I met so many amazing people like Calista DeFeo (‘23), Carolyn Stevenson (‘23), George Potenza (‘23), and so many other amazing people who I’ll always remember and be friends with.
— Arianna Simoneau ‘24
What type of feelings do you anticipate experiencing as you approach your final performance at Feehan?
After every show I always feel sad that it’s over but so incredibly grateful for the experience. With Shrek I feel a different level of gratefulness because I have been dreaming of this moment since 8th grade. Shrek was my COVID show that I never got to perform and being able to do this at Feehan is going to be such an amazing experience. I’ll be sad that it’ll be over, but so grateful I was given a second chance to play Fiona.
— Arianna Simoneau ‘24
